Improvement in clothes-driers



A Pateritez 1an.` 6, 1874.

WMM

F LYFURD Clothes Drlers PATENT i OFFICE.

FRANCIS LYFonn, oF AUGUSTA, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOTHES-DRIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,260, dated January 6, 1874; application liled April 26, 1873.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS LYFoRD, of Augusta, in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, have invented certain Improvements in Clothes-Driers, of which the following is a specication This invention has for its object the provision, in an umbrella-like clothes-drier, of a collar connected with the -movable sleeve, to which the arms or ribs are attached, in such manner as to allow said sleeve to revolve independently of the collar, and also providing a camlever on said collar, acting automatically, to hold the collar in any desired position on the standard.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of an umbrella-like clothes-drier having my improvements applied. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the sleeve and collar, with the cam-lever in side view, enlarged; and Fig.

v 3 is a like view of a modiiied form of devices for connecting the sleeve and collar, and for holding the latter in position.

The letter A represents a clothes-drier made to fold and unfold like an umbrella, and consisting of a standard, a, having a cap, b, pivoted on top, so as to rotate, and a sleeve, e, provided with ears, in which are fastened the lower ends of arms or ribs c, which arms are connected with the cap b by means of braces d, secured by one end in ears on the cap, and by the other to the ribs or arms c,- and through holes in the ribs any number of ropes may be passed, on which to hang the clothes. Thus constructed, the arms may be folded up against the standard or unfolded by sliding the sleeve e 'down or up on the standard; and this mechanism may be revolved on the standard to any extent, as usual.

Heretofore there has been much diliculty in holding the arms extended at any height, and at the same time allow them to be freely revolved around the standard, and the means employed have been either inecient or cumbersome'. To avoid these evils is the object of my invention, and in carrying it out I employ a metal collar, f, placed on the Standard just below the sleeve c, and connected with this sleeve by means of a tongue, g, projecting from its upper edge through the sleeve, and bent over its upper edge, as at h, so as to unite the two, and cause them to move together up and down on thestandard, and at thesame time allow the sleeve to be freely rotated independently of the collar. As a means for holding the collar in place on the standard, a cam-lever, t, is provided, which is pivoted between ears projecting from the collar, and bears against the standard through a slot in the collar. The bearing-surface of this cam is serrated or roughened, so as to more readily and firmly hold, or it may be smooth and of a shape to conform to the standard, and its outer end is Weighted, so as to render the action of the lever automatic-that is, when the arms are expanded or unfolded, and the sleeve has been elevated to the proper height, as soon as the El hold on the sleeve is released, the. downward pressure of the drier arms, acting on the sleeve and collar, will cause the cam -lever to take hold on the standard, and thus retain the drier in the desired position.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a modified form of connection for the sleeve and collar, and collar-holding device. In this case a groove is made longitudinally in the standard of a length sucient to allowthe folding of the arms, and, instead of a tongue on the collar, I use a rod or wire, 7c, secured loosely to the collar at l,

and extending up over the sleeve at m, so as to connect the sleeve and collar; and, instead of a cam, a set-screw, n, turning in the collar, is adjusted against the rod k, pressing it back into the groove, and thereby' retaining the sleeve.

As will be perceived, the device shown in Fig. 2 is preferable to that just described, inasmuch as it is automatic in its action. ln both these cases the sleeve is free to be turned independently of the collar.

In a clothes-drier, the collar f and sleeve c, connected together by a tongue, g, in the manner and for the purpose described, in combination with an automatic cam-lever, t, for retaining the collar in position.

i FRANCIS LYFORD.

Witnesses:

EDWIN H. ATKINs, S. W. FAIRFIELD.` 

